


By Your Side

by yooodles



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, Break Up, Cheating, Just Kissing Though, M/M, Reconciliation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 14:23:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17081966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yooodles/pseuds/yooodles
Summary: “I’m sorry your relationship has to end this way,” he says wistfully, “you and Doyoung were really good together.”Panic starts to creep into Jungwoo’s veins at Yuta’s cryptic message, “What do you mean by that, we aren’t breaking up,” he says carefully.“Jaehyun’s coming back to town. Doyoung always sleeps with Jaehyun when he come back into town, it’s kind of like clockwork in their own funny, twisted way.”





	By Your Side

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE NOTE: this fic does contain cheating in the form of kissing, don't read if it makes you uncomfortable

In Jungwoo’s eyes, Doyoung had always been the sweetest, most caring boyfriend he could have ever asked for. He was the epitome of the perfect partner; gentle but witty at the same time, attentive to all his needs, and most of all, that sweet, gummy smile that made him feel like he was the only other person in the entire world. He’s never had any reason to doubt Doyoung’s love and loyalty, so when Yuta corners him in the kitchen and casually drops a bombshell that could completely alter what’s been a year of perfect domestic bliss, he doesn’t know how to react.

Jungwoo looks up from pouring his glass of water to see Yuta strolling into the kitchen with a weird look on his face. He could tell that his was a little tipsy, but they had all been drinking that night so he didn’t think much of it.

“Oh hey, did you want some water? I can pour you a glass,” he offers with a smile.

“I’m sorry your relationship has to end this way,” he says wistfully, “you and Doyoung were really good together.”

Panic starts to creep into Jungwoo’s veins at Yuta’s cryptic message, “What do you mean by that, we aren’t breaking up,” he says carefully.

“Jaehyun’s coming back to town. Doyoung always sleeps with Jaehyun when he come back into town, it’s kind of like clockwork in their own funny, twisted way.”

Jungwoo nearly chokes on his sip of water and quickly tries to compose himself, face turning into a frown as he slowly shakes his head, “That doesn’t sound like something he would do...and anyways he’s in a relationship now, I don’t think some random ex can just barge in and cause Doyoung to betray me like that.”

Yuta smiles sadly, “Look I’m just trying to give you a heads-up as a friend, you aren’t the first person to say that and you probably won’t be the last. Hell, even Doyoung denies that he’ll do anything with Jaehyun each time he comes around. Spoiler alert, he always does.”

He walks over and pats Jungwoo’s arm as a sorry attempt at comfort before walking back out to join the rest of the group.

Jungwoo had known Jaehyun was an ex of Doyoung’s, but his boyfriend never cared to divulge much of his past love life beyond the fact that it was a messy breakup of sorts. _“I have you now, who I’ve dated in the past doesn’t matter the slightest,”_ he would always say when Jungwoo tried to ask, an answer that had always more than satisfied him.

He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but Doyoung did seem to tense up and distance himself from the conversation when Taeyong brought up that Jaehyun would be coming back. He had assumed it was just due to general discomfort surrounding talk about his ex-boyfriend but now he wasn’t so sure. On one hand, he wanted to believe that Doyoung wouldn’t ever hurt him, but at the same time Yuta seemed so sure.

Jungwoo shakes his head. _No._ Doyoung would never just hook up with an ex, especially when they were in such a solid stable relationship. He had to trust his boyfriend who had never down him anything but trust and love before.

Just as he thought he had finally gathered his thoughts, Doyoung walks into the kitchen with a concerned look on his face.

“Hey, you were taking a while, I just wanted to check to see if you’re okay,” his voice gentle and thoughtful.

He looks up to see his boyfriend’s worried eyes before giving a small smile, “Just feeling a dizzy, I think I drank too much, is it alright if we head home?”

Doyoung walks over and places a soft kiss on his cheek, “Of course, I’ll go tell the others, just get yourself ready okay?”

Jungwoo nods in response and watches Doyoung leave the kitchen. He feels all the more reassured, there was no way that human being would be capable of doing anything to hurt him. Since when did he listen to Yuta anyways, the man was always spouting nonsense.

-

Doyoung internally groans as he opened the text message. He should have expected this, _he_ always texted when he was back in town. It was always the same excuse, _let’s meet up to catch up, just as friends, don’t worry._ He throws his phone onto the side table as an attempt to suppress the twitching in his fingers to text back. He hated the hold he had over him even after so many years, diligently showing up each and every time Jaehyun summoned him.

It always ended the same way, all Jaehyun had to do was give him that _look_ , eyes darkened but full of warmth and that stupid, dimply smile, and next thing Doyoung knew, he’d find himself under Jaehyun, being fucked into his hotel mattress. It was really quite pathetic if he thought about it. For someone who prided himself in his composure and self-control, it baffled him how it all went away in the face of one stupid boy who had left him heartbroken 5 years ago.

There was no way he would be weak this time, he had learnt from his past mistakes and was not going to fall victim to Jaehyun once again. And anyways, he had Jungwoo. He looks over at his sleeping boyfriend who was cuddled in bed with the cutest and most peaceful look on his face. Sweet Jungwoo who loved him unconditionally and looked at him like he had the stars in his eyes. Doyoung undeniably loved his boyfriend and decided there was no way he would do anything hurt him, no matter how tempting seeing Jaehyun might be.

A little voice in the back of his head reminds him that this wasn’t the first time he had been in a relationship when Jaehyun came back into town. That had been one of the more shameful periods of time in his life, and to top it all off, when he looked back on his actions he wasn’t even sure he regretted it. In his defense, it wasn’t his fault Jaehyun was such a good lay, and his relationship was already falling apart anyways. It was bound to have ended one way or another.

 _No_ , he reminds himself. It would be different this time, what he had with Jungwoo was virtually the textbook definition of a perfect relationship. He was happy right now, really happy. They had just moved in together and were even looking into adopting a puppy. There were absolutely no cracks that he could later use to blame any of his potential questionable actions on.

Doyoung’s phone buzzes again with a new message and hesitantly reaches out to pick it up. Jaehyun had seen that he was read the first message and it seemed like he wasn’t going to stop texting him until he replied. He sighes, there was no harm in replying just to ask him to leave him alone, was there?

 _Please stop texting me Jaehyun, I have a boyfriend now,_ he texts, wondering if it was too harsh.

His phone immediately buzzes with a reply, _I know, I just want to talk. There’s something important I need to tell you and I want to do it in person._

Doyoung ignores the urge to pull his hair out as he stares at his screen, thumbs hovering over the keyboard. How should he reply to that, should he just say no? But what if it really was something important…

The screen lights up again, _Please Doyoung, I promise I won’t try anything._

He wants to smack himself as he watches his own fingers text a reply, trying to will away the nagging voice in his head that this was a bad idea.

_Fine, we’ll meet tomorrow at noon at Johnny’s Café. I’m holding you to your word about not trying anything._

He quickly closes his phone and puts it aside so that he wouldn’t be tempted to text anything further. Stalking over to his bed, he gets under the bedsheets and pulls Jungwoo close to his chest. His boyfriend sighs contently against him, and Doyoung instinctively holds him tighter. He focuses on Jungwoo’s warmth as he reminds himself that tomorrow’s meeting would only exist to hear whatever important news Jaehyun had and to tell him to cut off all contact with him in the future.

-

Doyoung shakes his leg from under the table at the café, eyes frantically glancing at the door. Jaehyun was due to arrive any minute now and Doyoung had spent the last 10 minutes wondering if he had made the right decision to show up. It still wasn’t too late to bail, he could probably convince Johnny to let him escape unseen through the back door. As enticing as that option sounded, he remains glued to his seat, partly out of the desire to not take the cowardly way out and partly out of his personal curiosity of seeing Jaehyun again. It had been over a year since their last meeting and he wonders how the other man had changed since then. Though in hindsight, last time Doyoung met up with Jaehyun, he woke up alone the next morning to a hastily written apology note that he had a flight to catch in the morning back to the US.

If Doyoung was sure of anything, it was that history was not going to repeat itself today. He was going to tell Jaehyun straight up that he was didn’t want to hear from him again and that he had Jungwoo now and was more than happy. _Oh Jungwoo_ , he had told his boyfriend he would be having lunch with Taeyong today. He felt slightly bad for lying, but it was for the greater good on their future relationship.

Just to be safe Doyoung had made sure to call Taeyong earlier to cover for him in the unlikely case Jungwoo had asked. He almost regretted doing so because as soon as he mentioned Jaehyun’s name, he had received an earful from his best friend, warning him to not fuck this up and that Jungwoo didn’t deserve to be hurt. Doyoung promised Taeyong he wouldn’t do anything stupid at least 6 times before he eventually relented and agreed to be his cover.

The café’s door jingles signaling the entrance of a customer and Doyoung’s head shoots up to meet the eyes of the source of his anxiety. As soon as they make eye contact, he sees the corners of Jaehyun’s mouth lift up into a lopsided smile, dimples and all as he excitedly to join Doyoung at the table. How could someone so cute be so dangerous?

Doyoung internally curses as he got a closer look at the other man. It was almost as if he had gotten even better looking since he last saw him, as if that was possible. He had dyed his hair a deep reddish-brown, which laid un-styled on his forehead. Even under his oversized sweater he could tell that Jaehyun had filled out a little, his shoulders seemed a little wider, _had he been working out?_ Doyoung quietly groans as he attempts to clear his mind of the mental image. No, he had one purpose and one purpose only today, and no one, especially not Jaehyun, no matter how handsome he had gotten, was going to stop him.

Doyoung clears his throat and begins, “So what was the important thing you had to tell me in person?”

Jaehyun chuckles, “Getting right into it I see. We haven’t seen each other in over a year and I can’t so much as get a hello?”

“Hello, Jaehyun, now what do you want?” he asks, tone clipped.

Jaehyun sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, “You look good Doyoung, how have you been doing lately? Still working at that publishing company?”

Doyoung feels his defenses start to falter at Jaehyun’s soft tone. He looks down, “I don’t see how any of that matters, we didn’t come here to make small talk.”

“I know, but I just missed you, I do still care about what’s going on in your life,” he replies earnestly.

“What’s going on in my life is that I have a boyfriend now. His name is Jungwoo and we’ve been together for a year and I love him very much.”

Doyoung couldn’t been sure but he thought he saw Jaehyun wince at the mention of his boyfriend.

“I heard, Yuta told me about it. I’m…glad you’re happy,” he says slowly.

Doyoung nods but didn’t respond. They sit in tense silence for a moment before he finally speaks up again, “You wanted to tell me something?”

“Right…listen, I don’t expect you to respond in any way but I just wanted to let you know that I’m moving back to Korea; Seoul to be exact. I’ve been in the talks for a transfer at my job for a while now, but it’s finally been accepted. I’m here right now for a few days to get things set up, but I’ll be fully moved back in about two weeks.”

Jaehyun peers hesitantly at Doyoung to gauge his reaction. Doyoung remains stone faced with a troubled look in his eyes. Out of everything Jaehyun could have told him he was not expecting this. He thought that facing Jaehyun today would be a one-off problem before he flew back to the States, never to be heard of for years. The news that his ex-boyfriend was going to be living in Seoul indefinitely, in the same city as him left him stunned, unsure of how to respond.

As if reading his thoughts, Jaehyun speaks up again, “I know you’re probably surprised by this and I understand, but now that I’m here I want to be able to see you, I want you to be a part of my life.”

This snaps Doyoung out of his reverie, “You think you can just waltz in here after no contact for over a year, announce that you’re staying and expect me to fall into your arms?”

“No, not at all, please Doyoung, I don’t expect you to do anything,” he says hurriedly before his face turns into a soft smile, “though it wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened if you did.”

Doyoung scoffs at his reply, “Are you joking right now? I wish you could see how dense and entitled you’re being right now. In case you forgot, _you_ were the one who left me in the first place all those years ago without so much as a goodbye. I’m done here.”

The chair screeches and he gets up to leave the café.

“Doyoung please wait, I’ve said this all wrong, let me try again,” the desperation in his voice is enough to make Doyoung pause in his steps.

Jaehyun gets up as well and walks over to face Doyoung, whose eyes remain firmly planted on the ground. He raises as hand to cup his cheek, and despite all the will-power he’s trying to assert, Doyoung can’t bring himself to pull away.

Jaehyun gently lifts Doyoung’s head until his eyes meets his.

“I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you. I love you so much, Doyoung, I’ve never stopped. You don’t know how hard I’ve worked to try to get this transfer to Korea, so I could come back to you. I want you to believe I’m not the same person I was 5 years ago, or even one year ago; I’ve thought a lot about what I want out of life and it’s always you that first comes to mind.”

Doyoung feels tears threatening his eyes, and he clenches his jaw in an attempt to hold them back.

Jaehyun continues, “I wasn’t going to say all this because I didn’t want to scare you off, but it seems like I’ve done that anyways. I know you are with Jungwoo now, but I am selfish enough to hope that there are still feelings for me in there because fuck it if I don’t want to be you again so badly.”

“Jaehyun…” Doyoung speaks up, his voice fragile and breathy.

“It’s a lot to take in, I know. You don’t have to give me a response right now, but if you think that there is the tiniest chance you might want to try again I want you to come find me. I’m staying at my usual hotel, room 1014. I’ll here for the next two days.”

And with that Jaehyun releases his hand on his face and Doyoung releases the breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He gives him a quick nod before exiting the café, leaving a dumbfounded Doyoung in his wake.

-

After a much-needed walk in the park to clear his head, Doyoung comes home to his smiling boyfriend hovered over the stove with a pair of chopsticks in his hand.

“Oh good you’re home, I’m making us dinner,” he says animatedly, before scurrying over to Doyoung to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Doyoung smiles at the smell of ramen filling the apartment. Jungwoo had never been much of a cook, so the fact that he was trying, even if it was only ramen, was heartwarming to see.

“It smells delicious, I can’t wait to eat, I’m starving,” he remarks, snaking an arm around his boyfriend.

Jungwoo hums contently at the compliment, “So how was your lunch with Taeyong? You were out for quite a while.”

Doyoung tries to keep his face neutral as he replies, “It was fine, same old, you know how Taeyong is. We took a walk through the park afterwards.”

Jungwoo chuckles, “Yeah, the weather was quite nice today. Perfect for a walk, though the two of you no doubt soured it with your constant bickering.”

Doyoung shifts uncomfortably from where he’s standing, he feels terrible for lying to Jungwoo, but what choice did he have. He couldn’t just tell his boyfriend that he had gone to see his ex who had just proclaimed his undying love for him.

“Right…”

Sensing the end of the conversation, Jungwoo hurriedly runs back to the kitchen and begins setting up for dinner. The two of them eat in relative silence, only interrupted by a few appreciative remarks towards the food by both parties. As much as Doyoung wants to deny it, both of them can sense that Doyoung’s mind is elsewhere. Being the diligent loving boyfriend he is, Jungwoo decides not to press further, leaving him to his thoughts.

The couple find themselves relaxed on the couch together afterwards, Jungwoo’s head on Doyoung’s lap as he cards his fingers through his soft hair. A movie is playing on the television, but neither of them are paying much attention.

Doyoung’s mind races with the memories of his past day. He hates that he’s so torn up after seeing Jaehyun. The decision should be easy, he should be able to simply pick Jungwoo without batting an eye. The life they had together was good, he had a real shot at lasting love and happiness here, so why couldn’t he just accept it? Doyoung keeps thinking back to the look in Jaehyun’s eyes earlier, so earnest and full of emotion, maybe even a little bit of fear. It reminds him of the first time Jaehyun told him he loved him all those years ago. They had been dating for maybe a month when he uttered those special words, like there wasn’t anything in the world he wasn’t more sure of.

_Doyoung looks up from the textbook he had been studying to see Jaehyun staring at him intensely. “What? Do I have something on my face?”_

_“I love you, Doyoung,” he rushes out before continuing a little louder, “I’m in love with you, Kim Doyoung.”_

_“I-“ he starts, unsure of how to continue but the look in Jaehyun’s eyes prompts him on, “I think I’m in love with you too.”_

_Jaehyun instantly breaks out into a huge grin before leaning over and kissing him full on the lips. It’s a soft kiss, chaste but full of love and emotion, as if to consummate the confession they had both just made._

_“I want to spend to rest of my life with you, promise me no matter what you’ll always be by my side,” he whispers, their faces still inches apart._

_“I promise Jaehyun, all you have to do is ask and I’ll be there.”_

“Doyoung, are you okay?” Jungwoo’s soft voice breaks him out of his reverie.

Doyoung clears his throat and looks down at his boyfriend, “Yes, I’m fine.”

This doesn’t seem to satisfy him, “You don’t seem fine, you’ve been distant all evening. Your forehead is all scrunched up and your mouth has been that cute little pout since we sat down.”

Doyoung sighs at Jungwoo’s insistence, “I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

Jungwoo sits up to properly face Doyoung, taking his hand into his own, “You know you can tell me if something is bothering you, you can tell me anything.”

“I know, just not right now,” he replies quietly.

“You don’t have to, I just hate to see you upset. All I want is for you to be happy, Doyoung, you know this right?”

There’s a level of insistence in his boyfriend’s voice that he isn’t used to hearing, and he can’t bring himself to do anything but nod. Jungwoo gently caresses his hand as Doyoung tries to navigate the jumble of thoughts in his head.

They sit like this for a few minutes before Jungwoo breaks the silence once again, “Let’s go to bed, maybe a good rest will help you feel a bit better.”

-

Doyoung paces outside of Jaehyun’s hotel room door, holding a hand out to knock before retracting it once again. He’s repeated the action at least five times already but still hasn’t built up the courage to actually knock. If he’s honest with himself, he has no idea why he’s even here. He’s spent the last night and nearly the entire day contemplating his options only to come up empty. He is nowhere closer to making a decision than he was yesterday. He had hoped that maybe coming to see Jaehyun would shed some light on his dilemma and perhaps instantly strike with the choice that had been deluding him for far too long.

Doyoung cringes as he checks his watch. He made a split-second decision to leave while Jungwoo was in the shower, and he was probably wondering where he was right now. In his haste he had left his cell phone at home, and I wouldn’t be long before Jungwoo realizes he was out with no way to contact him. Doyoung guiltily pushes the thought to the back of his mind, he needed to focus on the problem before him.

As if on cue, the hotel door swings open to reveal a t-shirt and sweatpants clad Jaehyun, his hair a mess on top of his head as if he been napping earlier. He takes in Doyoung’s wide eyes and expression of surprise at being caught off guard.

“I’ve been watching you pace around and waiting for you to knock for the past ten minutes now.”

Doyoung’s jaw opens and closes in confusion, still dumbfounded by Jaehyun’s sudden appearance. He continues, “Your footsteps aren’t exactly quiet, now are you going to stand there all night or are you going to come in?”

Doyoung nods dumbly and hesitantly steps into the room and Jaehyun closes the hotel room door behind them. The stand awkwardly in the center of the entrance hallway but neither man makes an attempt to move.

Jaehyun is the first to speak up, keeping his voice low as if to not scare Doyoung off, “You’re here, does that mean you’ve figured out what you’ve wanted?”

Doyoung looks up at Jaehyun, distress evident in the way he’s chewing his lip. “No,” he admits honestly, “I have no idea what I want right now.”

Jaehyun lets out a breath of frustration and stares at Doyoung, “Then tell me why you’re here, why you are standing in the middle of my hotel room right now?”

“Jaehyun-“ his voice cracks but he clears his throat and it’s like dam has broken, words leaving his lips before he’s even realized what he’s said, “Why did you leave me all those years ago? You said we’d always be together and then you left without a word. And why did you come back all those times and find me only to leave again right after? Why did you do all this to me, how do I know you won’t leave again?”

By now tears are openly falling from Doyoung’s eyes. He attempts to blink them away in vain as they just continue to gather while his eyes dart around the room in an effort to look any but at Jaehyun. He hears a sharp breath from the other man and knows that he’s probably not in a much better state than himself.

“I was a coward then, I was young and stupid and I didn’t think I had much of a choice. The job offer in the US came and it was a culmination of everything I had ever worked for. I thought I had no option but to take it, that an opportunity like this would never come around again,” Jaehyun explains, his voice sounding tired and strained.

“But why did you just leave? Why didn’t you tell me, I would have understood, I would have come with you,” he asks, not even bothering try to stop his tears now.

“I know, I should have told you, I was so blind back then. I knew you would offer to go if I did, but I saw how happy you were at your new job here in Seoul and I didn’t want to take that away from you. I thought it would be better if I just left. I thought it would hurt less that way, that you’d move on faster if you hated me. It was stupid and unreasonable and I still regret it to this day.”

Doyoung sniffles, “I missed you and I mourned for your absence, but I don’t think I ever really hated you. And anyways, if you left like that why did you come back all those times and sleep with me, what was the point of that?”

“That,” Jaehyun sighs, “that was my own selfishness acting. Whenever I came back and had the chance, all I wanted was to see you, and I was too weak to resist reaching out. I thought it would be easier if it was just sex, that you wouldn’t be as hurt if I pretended to not care and leave as soon as it was done.”

“But I was hurt, I was hurt every time I woke up alone.”

“I’m so so sorry, Doyoung, I never wanted any of this to happen. Trust me I understand, you are all I can think about. I’ve tried to date other people before but it never works out. It’s you, it’s always been you. I know I’ve made stupid decisions in the past but I want to make it right, I want to try again. This time I promise I won’t ever leave again, at least not without taking you with me.”

Jaehyun moves closer and Doyoung all but falls into his arms, head buried into his chest as he struggles to stay standing. Jaehyun wraps a supporting arm around his waist and uses his free hand to rub calming circles on his back.

“I need to know Doyoung, if there is any possibility you could love me again?”

“How can I love you _again_ ,” he mumbles into Jaehyun’s chest, “if I’ve never stopped loving you in the first place?”

It’s his first admission of reciprocating Jaehyun’s feelings and the shift in the other man’s composure is apparent as soon as the words leave his mouth. Jaehyun moves his hand to lift Doyoung chin up and uses his thumbs to gently wipe away his tears. There’s a newfound light in his eyes, as if that one simple sentence had changed everything for him. Doyoung fidgets nervously in Jaehyun’s arms, he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to act now, what more he’s supposed to say.

The more Jaehyun explained his side of the story, the more Doyoung had realized it was true, he was still in love with Jaehyun, even after all these years. This was the simple reason why he’d shown up every time Jaehyun called over the past few years and this was the reason why he was standing here right now. As much as he didn’t want to break and admit it, Jaehyun had seemed to have matured, and his confession and promises were undeniably genuine. If he’s honest with himself, he’s missed Jaehyun so _goddamn_ much, and the familiar feeling of being it his arms had him just moments away from completely melting.

Acting on instinct alone, Doyoung lifts his both his arms up and reaches out to cup both sides of Jaehyun’s face. He leans in until their foreheads meet and takes a breath to steel himself for what comes next. This time it’s Jaehyun who makes the move to inch their faces closer and closer together. They remain like this for a moment before Doyoung quickly pulls back in shock.

“I-I shouldn’t…” he breathes.

“If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop,” Jaehyun states, arms not leaving Doyoung, “If you tell me you don’t want this, I’ll let you go and never bother you again.”

Doyoung offers a timid nod and Jaehyun takes it as a sign to lean in once again. He makes sure to take his time in case Doyoung suddenly decides to change his mind. When he feels no resistance, he closes the distance to gently press their lips together. After a second, he slowly begins to move his lips to deepen the kiss and Doyoung feels his knees threaten to buckle at the contact. Kissing Jaehyun is like coming home after a long day, it’s warm and familiar and oh so tantalizing. He feels himself eagerly responding, hands moving into Jaehyun’s hair, while his were wrapped tightly around Doyoung’s waist.

Doyoung feels Jaehyun take a few steps forward and he readily follows his lead until he feels his back hit a wall. This gives him more leverage to pull him even closer as he parts his lips to allow for the welcome intrusion of Jaehyun’s tongue. Doyoung swears he can hear Jaehyun whisper a soft _I love you_ between kisses, but his thoughts are interrupted when he feels a leg press in between his own, applying just enough pressure to make his head dizzy. Jaehyun’s hands find their way under his shirt and begin to lightly stroke up and down the sides of his soft skin. Doyoung lets out a breathy moan against Jaehyun’s lips at the combination of sensations, which only spurs the other to kiss him back more aggressively, hands now moved to hips, gripping tightly pulling them against his own.

 Jaehyun break the kiss and begins the mouth down Doyoung’s neck, earning a string of whispered expletives as he alternates between light kisses and gentle bites. Doyoung can feel all the blood in his body rush downwards and he finds himself beginning to grind insistently on Jaehyun’s leg. Sensing the shift, Jaehyun snakes a hand into between them and reaches to undo his belt.

The sudden movement snaps something within Doyoung and the implication of his actions dawns on him. He quickly moves both his hands to Jaehyun’s chest to push him away, the other man falling away with ease, but not without a confounded expression on his face.

“I’m sorry, _as much as I want to_ , I can’t do this right now. I’m still with Jungwoo…” he blurts out quickly.

A look of understanding seems to dawn on Jaehyun’s face, “I get it…” he starts, “he probably doesn’t deserve this. Take your time to figure things out with him. I’ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer. When you’re ready, you know how to find me.”

He walks over to Doyoung and places a soft kiss on his forehead before reaching out to open his hotel room door. Doyoung mutters a quiet _thanks_ before stumbling back out into the hallway and commencing his mental preparation to face Jungwoo again. At least now the choice was clear, he knew exactly what he had to do.

-

It’s well past midnight when he gets home, turning the lock as gently as possible in hopes of not bothering an ideally asleep Jungwoo. As soon as he opens the door to a living room with all the lights turned on, he realizes that he isn’t so lucky.

Jungwoo immediately sits up from his place on the couch and stalks miserably towards Doyoung. His eyes are red and his face is streaked with dried tears. He takes one look at Doyoung, noting his swollen lips and what’s likely a hickey blooming on his neck, and let’s out a sound that’s in between a wail and sigh.

“So it’s true what Yuta said,” he stutters unsteadily, “You slept with him, you slept with Jaehyun.”

“What exactly did Yuta tell you? _I’m going to kick his ass, that bastard-,”_ he grumbles angrily before looking up to see Jungwoo with the sternest look he’s ever seen plastered all over his face.

Doyoung relents under his boyfriend’s gaze and wanders over to the nearest armchair before slumping himself down. He’s not sure his legs can support him for much longer under all his physical and emotional exhaustion.

Doyoung sighs, “I didn’t sleep with him, but I almost did. He told me he was moving back to Seoul.”

This seems to placate Jungwoo somewhat and he moves to take a seat opposite Doyoung on the couch. He pushes further, “Why Doyoung? Why would you do that?”

“Because-,“ he starts but Doyoung can’t bring himself to finish his sentence.

A long silence follows, and when Jungwoo realizes Doyoung is not going to continue, he speaks up instead, “Do you love him? Do you want to be with him?”

Doyoung can hear Jungwoo’s voice breaking at the question and the guilt tears him up on the inside. He squeezes his eyes shut and forces himself to reply. If anything, Jungwoo at least deserves the truth.

“ _Yes_ ,” he replies, “I’m so sorry, Jungwoo. You don’t deserve this.”

His voice is no more than a whisper but Jungwoo understands perfectly. Doyoung winces at the sound of his stifled sobs, and feels tears of shame begin to prick his own eyes.

“I see,” Jungwoo mumbles once he’s managed to catch a hold of himself, “I can call Lucas right now to pick me up and I can be out of your hair by tonight. I’ll need to come back for my things later but-“

“Stop Jungwoo,” Doyoung interrupts, “I did this to you, if anyone is leaving it’ll be me. This was your apartment first anyways. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight, but I’ll be gone first thing tomorrow morning. I’m truly sorry, I really did love you.”

“But not as much as him.”

Doyoung bites his tongue because he can’t deny his statement. Jungwoo quietly gets up from the couch and walks towards their once shared bedroom. He pauses at the door and offers a soft _good night_ before closing it behind him with a quiet click.

-

_Two Weeks Later_

When Doyoung goes to knock on the door this time, there is no hesitation. Almost immediately, the door opens widely and Doyoung is once again face to face with Jaehyun. He raises an eyebrow at Doyoung, who offers him a shy smile in return.

“How’d you figure out my new address?” he asks, before breaking out into a huge grin at the sight before him.

“I asked Yuta, the man seems to know everything,” he grumbles, “I hope this isn’t too presumptuous of me but I kind of have no place to stay at the moment. I’ve been sleeping on Taeyong’s couch for the past two weeks and we are just about ready to kill each other. I know we never discussed how this was going to work, but I’m kind of single and homeless right now and-“

Doyoung is instantly cut off when he feels a pair of strong arms haul him into the air and a pair of soft lips plant themselves on his own.

Jaehyun’s eyes are sparkling and full of love as he looks down at him.

“Welcome home, Doyoung.”

“Welcome home, Jaehyun.”

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](https://twitter.com/yooodles)   
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/yooodles)


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